Speaking tonight at the 2015 Game Awards, show organizer Geoff Keighley explained why Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima was not in attendance. According to Keighley, a games media veteran who is also a close personal friend of Kojima, lawyers instructed Kojima that it would not be a good idea to attend.

Kojima first came to work at Konami in 1986. It was there that he created the Metal Gear series, which he has helmed since 1987. His other projects have included Snatcher, Policenauts, Boktai, and Zone of the Enders.